The state of Animation & VFX Pipelines
survey and report
Pipeline efficiency gains
Over a third of studios spend less than 5% of their budget on pipeline development, and an even greater share (37%) don’t know their pipeline spend at all.
Only a small minority invest more than 10%.
Despite strong belief in the value of well-structured pipelines, most teams are operating with minimal or uncertain investment.
Software usage
Maya remains the industry standard, with over half of studios using it all the time. Houdini and Blender see strong regular use, while Unity and Unreal Engine continue to grow in adoption.
For a complete view, including detailed trends across 2D, 3D, and render software, access all three in-depth reports and see how your studio stacks up.
Barriers to adopting new technologies
Cost, lack of expertise, and integration challenges remain the top obstacles for studios.
Justifying investment is still tough, and finding pipeline experts who can implement new tech is as rare as ever.
With uncertainty around ROI and technical change, it’s no wonder adoption is slow.
Adapting to upcoming trends
Only 8% of studios feel highly prepared to tackle upcoming trends. The rest are somewhere between “we got this” and “we need a miracle.” Embracing change is tough, but essential for staying competitive.
AI and USD are expected to have the most significant impact on pipelines in the next 5 years.
Remote collaboration challenges
Data transfer, security, and communication are the top three challenges. It’s like trying to assemble a puzzle with pieces scattered across the globe, tricky, but doable with the right tools, practices, and team.
78% see the biggest challenge as balancing technical complexity and ease of use.
